As previously announced during BlizzCon 2017, patch 7.3.5 will bring the same technology used on the Legion zones to all old world zones. In order to accomplish that, zones and dungeons received scaling levels, as we previewed in our Zone and Dungeon scaling Levels post. So today we will focus on the other aspects that Blizzard is introducing together with that technology, features that will likely change leveling completely from what we have today.

Zone Scaling

As previewed in our Zone and Dungeon scaling Levels post, all zones before Legion were updated with new level ranges, in order to accomodate better players for a longer time, allowing players to complete the zone stories while leveling, or level with a friend in a complete new zone. As a thumb rule, all zones keep a similar to current minimum level, but now scale to their maximum expansion bracket.

Recruitment Boards

In order to support those changes to all players, new Recruitment Boards were added in all capital cities, with similar layouts as the Artifact Weapons used, helping to guide players to a new zone if they so desire.

Experience Increases

With all the changes to zones, Blizzard took the liberty to review some of the other leveling aspects, like Experience required. The changes were made in the range of level 10-60 only, with a peak of 60% increase between level 20 and level 40. You can see the charted difference below.

Level

Live

PTR

Diff%

1

400

400

0%

2

900

900

0%

3

1400

1400

0%

4

2100

2100

0%

5

2800

2800

0%

6

3800

3800

0%

7

5000

5000

0%

8

6400

6400

0%

9

8100

8100

0%

10

8800

9240

5%

11

9800

10780

10%

12

11500

13225

15%

13

14000

16800

20%

14

16300

20375

25%

15

18800

24440

30%

16

20800

28080

35%

17

22500

31500

40%

18

24000

34800

45%

19

25700

38550

50%

20

27300

42315

55%

21

29100

46560

60%

22

30900

49440

60%

23

32500

52000

60%

24

34400

55040

60%

25

36500

58400

60%

26

38200

61120

60%

27

40100

64160

60%

28

41800

66880

60%

29

44800

71680

60%

30

47600

76160

60%

31

50900

81440

60%

32

53500

85600

60%

33

56400

90240

60%

34

59100

94560

60%

35

62000

99200

60%

36

65100

104160

60%

37

67800

108480

60%

38

70800

113280

60%

39

73700

117920

60%

40

95700

133980

40%

41

99500

139300

40%

42

103300

144620

40%

43

107000

149800

40%

44

110800

155120

40%

45

114700

160580

40%

46

118500

165900

40%

47

122400

171360

40%

48

126300

176820

40%

49

130200

182280

40%

50

134300

188020

40%

51

138300

193620

40%

52

142400

199360

40%

53

146500

205100

40%

54

150500

210700

40%

55

154700

216580

40%

56

158900

222460

40%

57

163200

228480

40%

58

167300

234220

40%

59

171700

240380

40%

60

254000

254000

0%

61

275000

275000

0%

62

301000

301000

0%

63

328000

328000

0%

64

359000

359000

0%

65

367000

367000

0%

66

374000

374000

0%

67

381000

381000

0%

68

388000

388000

0%

69

395000

395000

0%

70

405000

405000

0%

71

415000

415000

0%

72

422000

422000

0%

73

427000

427000

0%

74

432000

432000

0%

75

438000

438000

0%

76

445000

445000

0%

77

455000

455000

0%

78

462000

462000

0%

79

474000

474000

0%

80

482000

482000

0%

81

487000

487000

0%

82

492000

492000

0%

83

497000

497000

0%

84

506000

506000

0%

85

517000

517000

0%

86

545000

545000

0%

87

550000

550000

0%

88

556000

556000

0%

89

562000

562000

0%

90

596000

596000

0%

91

603000

603000

0%

92

608000

608000

0%

93

614000

614000

0%

94

621000

621000

0%

95

627000

627000

0%

96

632000

632000

0%

97

639000

639000

0%

98

645000

645000

0%

99

651000

651000

0%

100

657000

657000

0%

101

663000

663000

0%

102

669000

669000

0%

103

675000

675000

0%

104

681000

681000

0%

105

687000

687000

0%

106

693000

693000

0%

107

699000

699000

0%

108

705000

705000

0%

109

711000

711000

0%

110

717000

717000

0%

111

717000

717000

0%

112

717000

717000

0%

113

717000

717000

0%

114

717000

717000

0%

115

717000

717000

0%

116

717000

717000

0%

117

717000

717000

0%

118

717000

717000

0%

119

717000

717000

0%

120

717000

717000

0%

121

717000

717000

0%

122

717000

717000

0%

123

717000

717000

0

While overall the changes seem steep, there may be other changes to XP rewarded from quests as well as NPCs. This requires more testing.

Health Pool Increases

To counter balance the increase of experience, however, the health pool from mobs at all levels has been increased considerably, making you less likely to be able to 1-shot mobs while leveling, even with the best gear available, as you can see below:

Live

PTR

We still don't have access to all the new PTR data, so meanwhile we only have select examples for that changes.

Heirloom Nerfs

One of the biggest tools that made leveling easier in the past were heirlooms. For that sole reason, they couldn't escape from this round of balance. Heirlooms still retain their increased experience bonus, but their stats have been lowered, specially at lower item levels.

Live

PTR

Live

PTR

Flying Changes

Last, but not least, flying. With all those changes, many people got curious about what would happen with flying, since it has so many variables, like Vol par temps froid and Sagesse des Quatre vents. Users in the official forums discovered that those special flying restrictions are gone! Which means that any character that acquires Expert cavalier or above will be able to fly in any continent that doesn't have a Pathfinder achievement related, restrictions still apply to them.

What do you think about the overall leveling changes? Will leveling be faster or slower now? Let us know in the comments below!

Commentaires

Commentaire de JohnCrichton

Now we don't need classic server anymore,this feeling will be the same :) Definitely i will lvl-up some more alts :)

Commentaire de scourge2

on 2017-12-05T00:08:21-06:00

Isn't the purpose of heirlooms supposed to make leveling less tedious for veteran players to catch their never played alts up due to how legion made alts a large than manageable to most players grind?

I get maybe people with heirlooms shouldn't be 1shotting everything in the game while leveling, but I feel sorry for the new players without heirlooms attacking mobs with those increased health pools unless there's something I'm missing.

Commentaire de AlakeiThancan

on 2017-12-05T00:10:54-06:00

I'm personnaly one of the most interrested in this change : I'm currently leveling 12 new alts on a new realm, because I decided to change from Ally to Hordy for the new xpac, and brought an IRL friend with me. And although I don't have a problem rushing through Mulgore quests, because I already know them ... I can't imagine ANYone discovering the game nowadays finding the game interresting at first glance. Yesterday on my lvl 12 druid, I actually killed without much difficulty a lvl 18 rare mob. He was 6 lvl higher than me, and a rare mob (they have a bigger healthpool). And I killed him with almost no effort.

More XP to gain levels? Yes please, with this XP rate I get 4 lvls everytime I do a dungeon (with the quests) ! It's retarded, and so fast that I get a new ability every 10 minutes or so. Kind of overwhelming eventually for a new player who doesn't know the systems of wow yet, I think.

Now I also understand people's desire to rush through the content if they're not interrested in it but ... It's an MMO guys. The reason Skyrim has a god mode is that it's a solo game. MMOs shouldn't have a god mode.

EDIT : For those afraid of new players having a hard time killing mobs ... At lvl 10 without any heirlooms I already three shot mobs in the Barrens (lvl 12/13). So even with an increased healthpool, it shouldn't be a problem.)

Commentaire de Bodomi

on 2017-12-05T00:16:17-06:00

Absolutely loving these changes, finally I can level up in my favourite zones with my favourite quest lines without out-leveling it in 10 minutes.

Commentaire de TheMaelstorm

on 2017-12-05T00:17:48-06:00

I.LOVE.IT.I've been preaching this long before Legion!

Commentaire de AnotherSheep

on 2017-12-05T00:33:22-06:00

I hope that the mob health pool changes and loom nerfs also make dungeons more fun. Some of the early level dungeons do some really cool things, but the bosses don't stay alive long enough to actually have to deal with it. I think that could be the coolest thing to experience, especially for newer players.

Commentaire de Chaoslance

on 2017-12-05T00:38:11-06:00

Guys, all of you who are wondering what it will do new players (especially health pool increase) or complaining how it "sucks" that you will have to spend more time lvling - pretty big part of fan base complains about lvling being too quick and too easy, "why isn't it like in Vanilla?" -> well, new players are gonna get that Vanilla feeling. In the same way I 1st logged in to WoW to try it out...

Commentaire de Nulgar

on 2017-12-05T00:43:28-06:00

The concern about health increases is those leveling without heirlooms are gonna really feel it. first timers, etc.

I feel like they are making changes around heirlooms trivializing leveling so much. but it's concerning what's going to happen for new players. It won't be hard but it might be annoying enough to turn them off.

Actually, just as Heirlooms were nerfed, all classic items are now properly itemized and thus stronger in many cases.Basically, Heirlooms provide the benefit of not having to replace your gear, but new players and those emulating that will not be that far behind, esp. as gear obtained at later levels will often be better instead of a sidegrade or no gain at all.

Commentaire de Castrum

on 2017-12-05T00:45:24-06:00

The casual whiners are already losing their minds. Thank god for this. 1-100, and especially 1-60, has been braindead easy for way too long. If you want to be lazy and have WoW handed to you, buy a boost.

Commentaire de Dagnabit

Commentaire de nomsidious

on 2017-12-05T01:06:56-06:00

Probably most of the folks who are all for the increased health and loom stat squish are pretty much the same folks that have been railing for legacy servers. Just because something is made more difficult does not equate to better.

Commentaire de Jupeeeeee

on 2017-12-05T01:06:57-06:00

On the one hand: higher levelling trash health (yawn). One the other: increased xp gains (ok). It'll be interesting to see how this balances out.

(And if you really love levelling, and want it to be as slow and tedious as possible - and why wouldn't you? - don't forget there are NPCs in your major capital that allow you to turn xp gains off. Then you can spend months running around in the Barrens at the giddy heights of level 15, as happy as a pig in the proverbial).

It was more xp required for level, not increased xp overall, unless if i missed something.

Commentaire de karubo

on 2017-12-05T01:07:07-06:00

No thanks.

Commentaire de Emsarrev

on 2017-12-05T01:35:46-06:00

What the hell are they doing? In a vacuum, these changes make very little sense to me. Guess I'll level my last class to atleast 60 now before this hits live.

Commentaire de queerguy

Heirlooms are used for twinks only, so my aim is to get the twink to the max level as fast as possible and not waist my time by shooting the mob for 10 sec till he dies. With these changes the increased experience doesn't look tasty at all.

So let's face the fact - raising your twink for free by heirlooms will take "ages" BUT Blizzard kinda forces us to pay for a boost and that'll take "a moment". All this balancing of herlooms - is bullsht, so nothing personal - it's all about the money...

Commentaire de Brewface

on 2017-12-05T01:42:18-06:00

I think the leveling experience will end up being slightly faster overall, mostly because dynamic scaling will eliminate a good portion of the need to travel between zones so often, especially pre-flying. You will be able to stay in a zone for more like 10 lvls instead of 5 or 6. This fact alone will pick up the overall speed of lvling, despite the increased health pools and nerfed BoAs.

Commentaire de Emsarrev

on 2017-12-05T01:42:29-06:00

That's very ego centric and self centred. Heck the game being 13 years old mean some players might not have been alive when it came out. I started playing when I was about 11 myself.

Considering that they also noted that quests seem to give additional exp (3x exp from live) It might even ultimately be faster, or about the same. You have plenty of time to get alts up before the patch launches too if you really want. But if I go to play a new game regardless of when it comes out and I'm 1 or 2 shotting things I'm probably not going to be interested enough to hit max level no matter how fast it is. You've had years of easy but boring as heck leveling. It's time to improve the experience of lower levels.

What is actually very ego centric and self centred is expecting everybody who has been here for ages to just take it up the ass when it comes to leveling a new character. The whole flying debacle goes to show that once you give convenience to players it's hard to take it away again. Pandora's box has been open for a long time, old content should not be dragged out.

There is nothing about a triple xp buff in the wowhead post. Was the OP edited?

Commentaire de Pyramus2

on 2017-12-05T01:47:13-06:00

While I applaud the scaling the rest just looks like a ploy to sell more level boosts. More xp needed and less xp/hour due to higher mob health and weaker heirlooms? The result is that getting a new character ready for, for instance, raiding will probably take twice as long. That said, based on the xp values they are simply making the increased xp needed per level linear instead of the giant bump between classic and all following content. I like the idea of that, though I'm less fond of the actual effect.

Oh well, at least I now know I don't want to wait with getting my most recent alt to 60.

EDIT: If that increased xp per quest thing is real it'll be less of an issue.

Commentaire de Kananera

on 2017-12-05T01:55:23-06:00

I think the leveling experience will end up being slightly faster overall, mostly because dynamic scaling will eliminate a good portion of the need to travel between zones so often, especially pre-flying. You will be able to stay in a zone for more like 10 lvls instead of 5 or 6. This fact alone will pick up the overall speed of lvling, despite the increased health pools and nerfed BoAs.

Depends on how you pex.Currently, or at least last time i had to ( so... last year ), the quicker way was through XP potions + chaining dungeon. So... More Health + More XP needed + Nerf heirloom = Slower.

But, for the questing leveling, i guess it is slightly better. And storywise, it is far better.